2013 Agenda for Progress

Tuesday

Jan 1, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Since Gov. Rick Scott assumed office Jan. 4, 2011, the Florida state government has become more and more dysfunctional. The 2010 election that brought Scott to power was held in the year of the tea party, which was influential nationally and in Florida.

The Ledger begins each year by listing some of its recommended public-policy goals. Some of these items are carryovers from past years and others reflect developments that took place in 2012. Progress can be painfully slow in a democracy, but it is attainable when the public demands it. Along with our recommendations, The Ledger invites you, the readers, to provide your own public-policy priorities. If your ideas differ from — or conflict with — ours, so much the better, but please be concise. The Ledger will run as many of the responses as space allows in The People's Agenda, scheduled for publication Jan. 20. Please include your name and the community where you live. See information in "Facts," below right.

Since Gov. Rick Scott assumed office Jan. 4, 2011, the Florida state government has become more and more dysfunctional. The 2010 election that brought Scott to power was held in the year of the tea party, which was influential nationally, but proved a particularly powerful adjunct to the most conservative, most libertarian and most extreme right-wingers within the Republican Party of Florida.As Scott found success at the ballot box, so did like-minded Republican legislative candidates — incumbents and newcomers alike. The result is a Tallahassee power trio that won't take no for an answer. It is made up of the governor, a Republican supermajority in the state House of Representatives and a Republican supermajority in the state Senate.During two years of nearly unrestricted power, this group has dismantled or redirected governmental branches that have been important for the services they have provided to residents and protections they have offered the state.As the presidential election of November concluded, and 2012 began to fade into the 2013 of today, unforeseen ramifications of decisions by Scott and his legislative cohorts widened a void of trust. Only then, a flicker of two-sided decision-making shone from within.The fact that the Tallahassee power trio is Republican is not of consequence philosophically. However, party affiliation matters in a practical sense because a back-to-the-future political figure is putting uncomfortable pressure on Scott, in particular, and the Florida Republican Party implicitly.That figure is Scott's predecessor, Charlie Crist. The former governor was a Republican; then an independent when he ended his governorship after one term to run for U.S. senator and found a Republican primary battle with eventual winner Marco Rubio untenable. He is a Democrat now. Indeed, Crist is making the sort of preliminary moves that cast his intentions as a candidate for governor in the 2014 election.In the same way that which party in power in Tallahassee is not of consequence, neither is the prospect of Crist succeeding in an election against Scott.However, Scott continues to be ranked poorly in polls. A poll released two weeks ago by the Polling Institute of Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., showed that Florida voters approve of Scott's work by 36 percent and disapprove by 45 percent. They say he does not deserve a second term 52 percent to 30 percent. The same poll showed Crist viewed favorably by voters 47 percent to 33 percent. Crist has the greatest recognition among likely Democratic candidates for governor.Crist re-emerged publicly in a politically orchestrated conversion as a Democrat on Dec. 8 by signing a voter-registration form at a White House reception in Washington. He submitted the form Dec. 13 in his hometown of St. Petersburg.Crist's conversion and public activities led quickly to a policy about-face by Scott over a national embarrassment in Florida governance: the state's inability to accommodate voters in a timely manner in early voting or on Election Day, or to tally its votes until the end of the week of the Tuesday, Nov. 6, election.With Crist poised to testify to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington on Dec. 19 about Scott and the Legislature tailoring Florida election rules to favor Republicans, Scott appeared early in the day on CNN to say: “We need to have bipartisan legislation that deals with three issues. One, the length of our ballot. Two, we've got to allow our supervisors more flexibility in the size of their polling locations and, three, the number of days we have. We've got to look back at the number of days of early voting we had.” In short, Scott supported a return substantially to the previous election rules.Crist told the Judiciary Committee, “The outcome of these decisions was obvious.” He added, “Florida, which four years earlier was a model of efficiency, became once again a late-night-TV joke.”With Crist's prominence providing at least a hint of returning to an effective two-party system in Florida, residents should encourage meaningful debate of state issues and political diversity among candidates, rather than merely accepting disruptive directives from a one-party powerhouse in Tallahassee.

FLORIDA POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITYFlorida Polytechnic University in northeast Lakeland began life as another strong-arm deal out of Tallahassee, led in the 2012 legislative session by state Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, and supported by Scott. Now, Alexander has reached his term limit.The polytechnic bounced from one political point of view to another from the time of its proposal. Crist's refusal to sign a funding bill for USF Polytechnic during his governorship was its most prominent early event.Alexander, who was the powerful chairman of the Budget Committee, used his political power to pull the polytechnic away from the University of South Florida System, under which it was the separate University of South Florida Polytechnic. Whether the polytechnic's future would have been better under the USF System or will be better now as the state's 12th independent state university is a debate without end or purpose at this point. The new university must move ahead smartly — quickly but thoughtfully.Luckily, a promising board of trustees has been appointed for Florida Polytechnic, and has been meeting to plan the university's beginning and early development as an operating institution of higher education.The board elected Robert Gidel of Windermere, who is a managing partner for Liberty Capital, as its chairman Aug. 1.A transfer of funds from USF was initially rejected by the new university, with Gidel saying the board needed additional information. He cited an excess of “unknowables” and said, “Once you say yes, we're live.” On Oct. 24, the board voted to accept the funds and breathe.Beyond the technical decisions made by the board, Gidel has shown savvy leadership and clear understanding of the purpose for the polytechnic.In a question-and-answer interview with The Ledger's Mary Toothman, published Oct. 2, Gidel explained how applied research will make the Florida Poly stand out from other universities in the state system:“The focus on applied education, although that was being done in all the state universities, it wasn't being done to the level that this state needs, that this country needs, that this world needs. You have two drivers for why that is.“One is, unfortunately, the basic education kids are getting in these kinds of sciences in high school. It's just weak. It's worse in Florida than in many places, but it's weak all over the place.“Two, it hasn't been institutionally or culturally supported. The kids that really want to pursue this, these kinds of disciplines, need to be in an environment where they have their own support groups. We should celebrate these people, not discourage them.”To put that vision into effect, Gidel and the board of trustees must build an administration, ensure that an effective staff is hired, make sure that campus construction stays on schedule and budget, and do all it can to encourage quick-and-positive accreditation.The board was smart to put Gidel in charge of choosing Florida Poly's first chief operating officer. On Nov. 19, he announced the hiring of Ava L. Parker, a Jacksonville lawyer and former member of the State University System's Board of Governors. Indeed, it was she — as chair of the Board of Governors in 2011 — who carefully and fairly shepherded polytechnic testimony before the board, as well as debate among its members. The debate resulted in a detailed set of goalposts being established for the new university to reach during its development. They were incorporated in the legislation that created Florida Poly.While the board has set out the immediate needs for opening in 2014, it is Parker and those she hires who will do the hands-on work to prepare the university to bring in its first class of students.Florida Polytechnic University has the potential to greatly benefit students from Polk County and beyond, and the county's economy and makeup, as well as that of Florida. Residents across the county and state should do all they can to support this unique-to-Florida polytechnic university and its advanced-and-practical approach to higher education.

UNEQUAL PAYFlorida state employees have not received any sort of pay increase since 2007. Then, workers received a one-time bonus of $1,000. This year, state workers were required to pay 3 percent of their pay into their retirement plans, cutting their income by 3 percent.A bill to give them an across-the-board raise of 2 percent was filed Dec. 17 by state Rep. Dwaine Taylor, D-Daytona Beach.One could say that it's tough all around.What are not tough are bundles of pay increases thrown to the employees of the incoming leaders of the state House and Senate.Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford have increased the pay of their highest-paid 17 employees by $252,000, reports The Miami Herald. Of that total, Gaetz's top-paid people account for $200,000.By the way, Gaetz and Weatherford are the leaders who promise to clean up ethics in the Legislature. They can just start with themselves.While we're waiting for that to happen, consider the root of the problem: The governors who have served since 1999 have chipped away at the state's sources of income so significantly that annual pay raises — even if tiny to match the lackluster economy — may not be affordable by the state.The Legislature and Gov. Scott should work to reinvigorate state revenue, charging appropriate taxes and fees so the state can provide the services reasonably expected by residents, not to mention provide funding — such as quality education — required by the Florida Constitution.

Polk CountyIMPACT FEESIn May, the County Commission and School Board held a joint meeting to discuss impact fees. Such fees are charged on new construction to pay for facilities and services that are needed to accommodate the new growth. Examples include roads, schools, parks, emergency and law-enforcement services, and libraries.Commissioner Todd Dantzler, arch enemy of impact fees — and a real estate broker — asked how much the School Board receives in impact fee revenue per year. About $1.4 million, said Mark Grey, assistant superintendent of schools for business services. School officials said that amount is valuable to the School District. In effect: Hands off.The County Commission has a moratorium until 2014 on its impact fee in vain hope of stimulating construction of houses. No evidence of such an effect has been presented to the public.In December, Assistant County Manager Lea Ann Thomas asked the commission whether the staff should seek an impact-fee study, which is coming due, and is required every three years when the fees are being collected.Dantzler jumped at the chance to cut vital income for the School District, saying the School Board's staff needs to present a report to the commission on spending and project school growth.To Dantzler and like-minded commissioners, hands off. Order the study. Add a section to determine the usefulness of the commission's impact-fee moratorium. Then follow the study's recommendations. In 2010, the commission instituted only 44 percent of the recommended fee.By continuing its impact-fee moratorium and harassing the School Board over its impact fee, the County Commission is stumbling down the same dead-end path as the state. It is cutting needed revenue, and tying its own hands for the time when additional money is needed to provide services and facilities expected by residents. The alternative is shifting the cost to taxpayers already living in Polk County.

GUN BALANCEOn Dec. 14 in Newtown, Conn., Adam Lanza, 20, shot his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School. He used a semi-automatic rifle and two semi-automatic pistols to kill 20 students, 6 years old and 7 years old, plus six women who worked at the school and, finally, himself. Before leaving for the school, Lanza had used a rifle to shoot his mother dead in bed. The shooting deaths left the nation in shock.President Barack Obama placed Vice President Joe Biden in charge of a task force to outline federal legislation to stop or reduce the mass shootings. He said he will make gun control a “central issue” of his second term.Sunday on the NBC's “Meet the Press,” Obama said, “I think anybody who was up in Newtown, who talked to the parents, who talked to the families, understands that something fundamental in America has to change,” He added, “And all of us have to do some soul searching, including me as president, that we allow a situation in which 20 precious small children are getting gunned down in a classroom.”Six days later in Auburndale at the site of a septic tank company, County Sheriff Grady Judd displayed a cart containing more than a dozen powerful rifles, including assault rifles. A total of 49 guns were found by sheriff's deputies at A-One Quality Services.Judd said the business, which is close to Walter Caldwell Elementary School, was being operated legitimately but was also being used to cover up a chop shop. The investigation began with a tip that drugs were being sold at the business in exchange for guns, officials said. Three people from the business, including the owner, were arrested.“Guns aren't the problem,” Judd said. “Guns in the hands of felons are the problem.”Judd should recognize that high-powered and advanced guns in the hands of people incapable of making rational decisions about their use endanger residents and law-enforcement officers alike.After all, it was just 16 months ago — also in Auburndale — when the call of police officer Stacy West at the front door of a house was met with a blast of 20 bullets from an assault rifle. Wounded by several of the shots Sept. 2, 2011, West survived but has been working to overcome numbness and limited mobility in her right hand, and a feeling of foreboding when approaching a front door.Polk residents should be at the same time alarmed by the 49 guns found Dec. 20 by the Sheriff's Office and by the contention of connection to illegal-drug trade, and grateful to the deputies, detectives and sheriff who made the discovery and confiscated the guns.As the most popular and powerful official in the county, the county's chief law-enforcement officer and an influential leader beyond Polk County, Judd has an additional duty: He should work to find ways to keep guns — particularly of extraordinary power or capacity — out of the hands those who would harm regular folks or law-enforcement officers, or lack the ability to make appropriate judgments.

Polk SchoolsPOOR PERFORMANCEThe Polk County School System has been clunking along in mediocrity for years now. Despite bright spots here and there within the sprawling School District, mediocrity is undeserved praise, based on newly released high school grades.In a report Dec. 21, the Florida Department of Education said nearly half of Florida's high schools received an A. One of Polk's 16 high schools — George Jenkins in Lakeland — received an A.Put another way, that's 6 percent of Polk's high schools receiving an A vs. 47 percent of high schools across Florida receiving an A.The unacceptability of this result is apparent from another Education Department report. It ranks Polk 59th out of the 67 school districts in Florida.Let's hope that interim Superintendent John Stewart can work some of the magic he used in stabilizing the Pinellas County School System when he was interim superintendent there.Most important in the meantime is the search for a new superintendent of schools. The search must focus on and deliver a superintendent capable and enthusiastic about turning the Polk School System toward excellence.The School Board, beyond making a wise choice, must commit itself to policies and support necessary to pull Polk's position out of Florida's educational basement.

LakelandENERGY MANAGEMENTLakeland Electric and the Lakeland City Commission face two issues of energy management that differ from one another but are nonetheless of great importance.The first is the need for Lakeland Electric's infrastructure — its equipment, particularly its power plants — to stay ahead of industry changes in fuel type and cost.That way, its capacity will remain sufficient for the present and will have the ability to grow as needed. Also, such planning will ensure that the most efficient and least costly types of generation are used by the city's power utility.At a Sept. 4 meeting with the Lakeland Utility Committee, electric-industry consultant Mark Gabriel said Lakeland Electric should go through the process of updating its strategic-resource plan annually. The plan “looks at all your options and tries to balance that out into the future.”The point of the yearly update is to keep up with the rapid changes in environmental regulations, and fuel supply and cost. For instance, at the moment, natural gas is abundant and inexpensive because of new supplies becoming available and more being discovered. However, change can be quick and convoluted, thus the need for Lakeland Electric to keep a close, regimented watch on developments.The second energy-management issue is smart meters.The meters provide per-customer-usage information to both the customer and the utility. The details of that information allow both to tailor usage and other factors to keep down costs.Broadly, there are times of day and evening when home usage expands, increasing costs to the utility.Lakeland Electric should do as much as it can with the meters to economize, without going so far as to penalize home customers for living their lives in a normal manner. It should not coerce them to make extraordinary schedule changes to avoid higher power prices.Referring to smart-meter experience elsewhere, Mary Hendry of Lakeland said this in a Jan. 25 letter to the editor: “Basically, you can't cook, bathe, run the washer or dryer, have heat or air conditioning until after 9 at night, or you are spending too much on electricity. If a mom is trying to keep the electric bill down, I see her bedtime being around 2 a.m. most nights.”Lakeland Electric must avoid such a situation if it is to build trust with its customers via smart meters and make best use of this new technology.

Winter HavenLANDINGS WITH A THUDThe city of Winter Haven's deal to sell its most prized property — The Chain O' Lakes Complex, which overlooks Lake Lulu at the southeast corner of U.S. 17 and Cypress Gardens Boulevard — to Taylor Pursell of Birmingham, Ala., has been a mess from the beginning. It continues to be handled poorly by both the city and Pursell.The city's plan initially was to sell the property to Pursell for $9.5 million. Pursell would demolish the recreation center, Rowdy Gaines Olympic Pool, Theatre Winter Haven and a baseball stadium with six practice fields, formerly used for spring training. The price paid by Pursell was to fund replacement of the facilities.In their place, Pursell would build hotels, restaurants, stores and a movie theater.However, even with eventual changes that bumped the sales price to $11.3 million, the cost for a new recreation center and pool would be $17 million, with the theatre paying for about $4 million. The city would fall short financially.That was before it received a new replacement-price estimate from a consultant: The cost for a new recreation center and pool would be $16.3 million, and a new theater would be $21 million.At the same time, city officials have been unhappy with Pursell.“It was sold to me, and it was sold to the commission, which we sold to the citizens, as two restaurants on the lakefront, two hotels, an IMAX theatre and retail. Everything I have seen has changed,” said Mayor J.P. Powell in a Sept. 24 City Commission meeting.“I'm tired of it,” Powell said. “Every time I turn around we have a new design ... somebody told me that the comment was made that, 'Well, we aren't making any money.' Well, that's not my problem.”On Dec. 18, Pursell said he has a “handshake agreement” with the city to keep the recreation center, pool and theater where they are.Maybe so, but city officials — commissioners and staff — should make their first action of 2013 a concerted effort to ensure that such an agreement would be to the city's advantage. The city should determine whether it would be better off negotiating a deal with Pursell to end further development of the Landings.Whatever is done, it must be in best interest of both the government and the residents of Winter Haven — and be handled in an orderly, professional manner.

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